Jim, back away from the ball, you have to hear this.

That’s what I said to Jim yesterday on the golf course when I found out what was going on in the ninth inning of yesterday’s Phillies game.  Throughout the day we were checking updates on my phone, it was 1-0 for a while, then I checked in the 8th, 2-0, damn! Two holes later I checked again to the tune of “There’s no way the Phillies can come back in the ninth.”  And sure enough, I had to interrupt Jim in his approach to pass on the good news.  I guess that’s what happens when you leave Dontrelle in too long, maybe down the stretch those complete games don’t come as easily as they do in April.  But the best part of the game was how the Phils secured the victory against that scumbag, Todd Jones.

Several people on 610 immediately annointed this as the collapse game for the Marlins and the propulsion to the Wild Card game for the Phillies.  They noted though, that the Phillies apparently lost one of these back-breaker games two weeks ago versus Houston.  Yesterday’s game was different for the obvious reason that it is two weeks later in the season with only two left to play.  Of course the Marlins are still in it, a win by them today and they are only 1.5 games out.  But even better would be to erase the ghosts of the 2003 season by sweeping the Marlins, winning the Wild Card, then winning the World Series.  Yea, I said it – World Series!

So then the Inquirer gets on the Phillies-Marlins role reversal bandwagon in Jim Salsibury’s article today.  Sure the Phillies are on a little roll right now, but I don’t think just because Jack McKeon makes a minor comparison between the teams that they are doppelgängers.  These are two completely different teams, the Phils are built on offense and the Marlins on pitching.  But it’s not a big deal at the moment, since any analysis of this year’s team is premature until the final day of the season.  This could be a great Phillies team or just another one tossed in the garbage at the end of the year.  Many things can still happen and just cause the Phillies are hot and beating the Marlins, doesn’t mean Houston is relinquishing its half game lead on the Wild Card.  All the Phils can do right now is worry about themselves and win every game they play.  Yea, I said it, I’m talking about a 16 game winning streak to close out the season.  I want this year’s squad to finally put the 1964 team to rest.  Go Phils!